‘The Glory’: Meet the Cast Playing the Teen Characters in the K-Drama
Netflix’s The Glory K-drama tells the story of the female lead’s dark past as she was the victim of peer-on-peer bullying during high school. The flashbacks help understand Dong-eun’s (Song Hye-kyo) broken self that has led her to plan the perfect revenge for over a decade. While the cast of The Glory comprises some of the industries leading actors, the actors playing the teen characters are also recognizable.
Seo Woo-hyeok joined the cast of ‘The Glory’ as the teen version of Myeong-o
The group of bullies has two male students. One of them is Myeong-o. He is the apparent delinquent of the group who has a habit of chewing his lollipops. The sound alone sends Dong-eun into a PTSD attack. The character grows up to still be a troublemaker, works as a drug dealer, and runs errands for Jae-jun. The adult character meets Dong-eun and soon gets tricked into helping her hoping not to be a target of her plan.
Actor Kim Gun-woo plays the adult character. In The Glory, actor Seo Woo-hyeok joined the cast as the teen version in the flashbacks, according to AsianWiki. Looking at his on-screen credits, the Netflix K-drama is the 24-year-old’s first acting role.
Song Ji-woo plays the teen version of Choi Hye-jeong
The Glory character Hye-jeong is one of the female bullies who helps torture Dong-eun under the commands of Yeon-jin. She is just as evil as the rest, but she grows up differently. As an adult, she is a flight attendant secretly in love with Jae-jun. She tries to appeal to him but often fails as he secretly sees someone else. But her ambition in life is to live carefree with a well-off husband.
But she becomes inherently fearful of Dong-eun after she reveals herself to them. At one point in the series, the fear of what will happen to her has her helping Dong-eun. Chimera and Wok of Love actor Cha Joo-young played the adult character. For the flashbacks, actor Song Ji-woo joined the cast of The Glory as the teen version.
Before the 2022 revenge K-drama, Song had an impressive career in well-known dramas. In the fourth-wall break K-drama Extraordinary You, she played the role of student Park Ae-ri. The 25-year-old actor starred in Queen: Love and War and currently stars as Ye Hyun-hee in The Forbidden Marriage.
Cast member Bae Gang-hee plays ‘The Glory’ teen character Lee Sa-ra
Much like her cohorts, the character Lee Sa-ra took part in the bullying of Dong-eun. She, too, had an inferiority complex coming from a wealthy family and knew she would not get punished. As an adult, she has one of the more chaotic lives. She is an artist and drug addict who often indulges in parties and sexual rendezvous her mother has to cover up. Myeong-o is her drug dealer. Due to her drug use, she only somewhat recognizes Dong-eun.
Bad Prosecutor actor Kim Hieora stars in the K-drama as Sa-ra. But for the teen version of the character, 25-year-old Bae Gan-hee plays the role. The actor has gained some fame as fans have recognized why she looks so familiar. Before The Glory, she was cast as Lee Ha-in in the Netflix thriller Somebody. Alchemy of Souls fans would recognize her in her brief cameo as Jang Uk’s mother.
Cast member Song Byung-geun plays the bully Jeon Jae-jun in ‘The Glory’
The leading male bully of the K-drama is a character named Jae-jun. While the female characters take part in more physical torture, Jae-jun and Myeong-o often tortured her psychologically. One scene showed them forcing Dong-eun to stand in the rain and not allowing her to cover her chest. As an adult, Jae-jun is well off and owns a luxury gold course. Like in his teen years, he is sensitive about his color blindness.
But The Glory adds drama as he is having an affair with someone, becoming essential to Dong-eun’s revenge plan. Joseon Exocricst actor Park Sung-hoon plays the adult character, with actor Song Byung-geun playing a teen Jae-jun. The Glory is the 24-year-old’s first acting role in his career.
Shin Ye-eun stars in ‘The Glory’ cast as the heinous teen antagonist Yeon-jin
Among all the actors playing teen versions of the character for the cast of The Glory, Shin Ye-eun is the most recognizable. The 24-year-old actor plays the K-drama’s leading antagonist Yeon-jin. Her gaze alone is haunting and full of evil. She leads her friends in bullying Dong-eun and has another secret about a prior victim. Actor Shin is recognized for her recent leading role in The Revenge of Others alongside Lomon.
Fans of Yumi’s Cells Season 2 would also recognize her as Yoo Da-eun. Her character follows the webtoon version and leads to the downfall of the lead couple. Shin also had roles in He is Psychometric, Welcome, and Rookie Cops. Actor Lim Ji-yeon stars as the adult version of Yeon-jin, who has married a rich man, kept her past a secret, and has everyone fooled by her supposed kindness.
‘Parasite’ actor Jung Ji-so joined the cast of ‘The Glory’ as teen Dong-eun
Helping tell the tragic past of Dong-eun is actor Jung Ji-so as the teen version of the character. Jung’s on-screen portrayal tugs at the heartstrings as fans witness the brutality Dong-eun faces that forces her to drop out of school, give up her dreams, and plan her revenge. Fans watch Jung act out the harrowing scene in The Glory where the bullies burn her with a curling iron.
Before joining the cast of The Glory, actor Jung has had an impressive career. The 23-year-old actor is recognized for her role as Da-hye in the Oscar-winning movie Parasite. Some of her K-drama credits include Curtain Call, Doom at Your Service, starred in Imitation, and Empress Ki. One of her best roles is starring as Baek So-jin in the 2020 thriller, The Cursed.
